【推荐1】       There are various advantages of using a pen name. In case the author writes on various topics or in different genres(体裁), using a pen name would be very useful. For example, let’s say an author is an expert in writing on serious topics, like business or finance, and also likes writing fiction stories, like romance. In such an author’s case, a pen name could save him from losing his readers as well as reputation.
       Will you be okay with any pen name? No, you should make sure that it is easy to spell and pronounce. If you come up with a name that is difficult to pronounce, maybe your readers will not want to recommend your book to someone. They may not ask for your book at a library. Why? Because it could be pronounced wrongly and may sound foolish in front of others. This is the reason why your pen name should be easy to pronounce.
       Not only should your pen name be easy to spell and pronounce, but it should also be professional. The idea is to get a name that should be memorable, not mock-able.
       If you are trying to pen your pen name in a way that is too similar to an existing author’s pen name, you are doing yourself no good.
       One small trick that could at least guarantee ‘a look at your book’ in the library is by using the correct initials. If you find that a particular best-selling author in your genre of writing has his name starting with ‘B’, maybe you could think of starting your pen name with ‘A’. People are going to search the library shelves from left to right to locate that famous author, and in the process, may come across your book.
       Your pen name has to be distinguished because it is going to last all your life.
1. When recommending your book with a pen name hard to pronounce, your readers may feel _________.

A．nervous	B．cheerful
C．satisfied	D．embarrassed

2. If the author of a best-seller of your kind uses a pen name like Patricia, you’d better choose _________.

A．Sam

B．Rebecca

C．Verna

D．Lauren

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Benefits of using a proper pen name.

B．How to win plenty of readers and reputation.

C．Things to consider while choosing a pen name.

D．How to select a pen name when writing different genres.

【推荐2】Although his 1-year-old smart-phone still works perfectly, Li Jijia already feels the need to replace it.

“There are many better ones available now. It's time to upgrade(更新）my phone.”

Li’s impatience is shared by many. Shortly after the season when new products are released（发布，发售）, many consumers feel the urge to upgrade their electronic equipment, even though the ones they have still work just fine.

As consumers’ minds are occupied by Apple’s newly released products and debate whether the Google tablet is better than the new Amazon Kindle, it might be time to take a step back and ask: “Do we really need the latest upgrades?”

According to Donald Norman, an American author, “planned obsolescence (淘汰）” is the trick behind the upgrading culture of today’s consumer electronics industry.

Electronics producers strategically release new upgrades periodically, both for hardware and software, so that customers on every level feel the need to buy the newest version.

“This is an old-time trick---they’re not inventing anything new,” Norman said. “This is a wasteful system through which companies--many of them producing personal electronics-- release poor-quality products simply because they know that, in six months or a year, they’ll put out a new one.”

But the new psychology of consumers is part of this system, as Norman admitted, “We now want something new, something pretty, the next shiny thing.” In its most recent year, Apple's profit margin(利润) was more than 21 percent. At Hewlett-Packard, the world’s biggest PC maker, it was only 7 percent.

Apple’s annual upgrades of its products create sales of millions of units as owners of one year’s MacBook or iPhone line up to buy the newest version, even when the changes are slight.

As to Li Jijia, the need for upgrading his smart-phone comes mainly from friends and classmates. When they are switching to the latest equipment, he worries about feeling left out.

“Some games require better hardware to run,” said Li. “If you don't join in, you lose part of the connection to your friends.”

1. What’s the author’s attitude towards people’s greed for new products?

A．Supportive.	B．Optimistic.
C．Critical.	D．Unclear.

2. How do the electronics companies successfully promote their latest products?

A．They make full use of the “planned obsolescence” strategy.

B．They make a fool of customers by recycling their old products.

C．They control the customers’ way of thinking while shopping.

D．They invent new products to attract the youth like Li Jijia.

3. Why is Apple Company interested in producing latest version of its product?

A．To provide customers with better service.

B．To defeat other competitors like Hewlett-Packard.

C．To establish a favorable image of itself among its customers.

D．To make huge profits out of its business.

4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that Li Jijia feels the need to replace his smart-phone as a result of____.

A．new psychology	B．peer pressure
C．life style	D．friends' expectation

【推荐1】Are you stressed out, scared or worried all the time? Do you avoid going to certain places, seeing friends or doing certain things because of your worries? Do your worries keep you awake at night?     1    .

Anxiety is a normal and necessary part of life. Anxiety is your brain’s way of telling you about danger. It is anxiety that helps you jump out of the way if a car is speeding towards you. But if it gets out of hand, anxiety can get in the way of you getting on with life and can become a real problem.     2    .

Anxiety is a normal part of life. Some people may feel uneasy if moving to a new place and some may get overly anxious in certain situation. There are lots of reasons for this.     3    . So if you are involved in a car crash, it’s quite likely that you will be more worried than other people around cars and driving.

    4    . If your parents suffer from anxiety, then you are more likely to be anxious too. This is probably partly due to genetics, and partly because of how things are when you’re growing up.

Even though people don’t talk about it much, anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems. About 1 in 4 people will have an anxiety problem at some time in their life.

If you have an anxiety problem, it’s hard for other people to understand why something that doesn’t worry them, like being in a crowd of people, can be so scary for you. This can make you feel separated and lonely, which may become worse and worse.

    5    These include talking therapies (疗法) and drugs.

A．If this is the case for you, treatment may be a helpful way for you to get your anxiety under control.

B．Being anxious also probably runs in families.

C．The good news is that there are lots of excellent treatments available for anxiety.

D．Almost everybody has a certain degree of anxiety in certain situations.

E．One main reason is after a stressful thing which has happened in your life.

F．Those suffering from anxiety need others' understanding badly.

G．If you’ve answered yes, you may be suffering from anxiety.

【推荐2】I’m a hiker -“born to hike”, as my husband likes to joke. It does my heart and soul good to take a pack and head out on a trail (小路), especially when I’m alone and can let my mind wander where it will. The experience of hiking is unique, research suggests, conveying benefits beyond what you receive from typical exercise.     1    

Hiking keeps your mind sharper than many other forms of exercise. As a professional writer, although I’m busy with my work, I often spare some time to hike.     2    

    3     Exercise in general can be a good way to decrease stress. But what sets hiking apart from other forms of exercise is that hiking can happen almost anywhere and give you that dose of nature you need to stay happy.

Hiking can increase our creativity. I’m sure I’m not alone in finding that walks in nature let my mind wan der freely in creative directions.     4     Sometimes, ideas relevant to music come up from unconscious places when I’m not deliberately thinking.

Hiking helps strengthen a positive relationship with the natural world. Besides being good for us, hiking may also help the world around us. After all, if we can walk and cover longer distances, we could use cars less and reduce our carbon footprint.     5     It increases our connection to nature. Developing a positive relationship with the natural world can help us to care about its fate, making us more committed to conservation (保护) efforts.

A．Hiking helps to keep you calm and happy.

B．Hiking and writing have strong connections.

C．Beyond that, hiking benefits our planet indirectly.

D．It is not only good for our bodies, but also good for our moods, minds, and relationships.

E．In fact, I’ve written many of my songs while hiking on a trail.

F．This all goes to show that hiking may be one of the best ways to move your body.

G．It not just makes me feel good, but also keeps my brain in top shape.